1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup device and portable electronic equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image pickup device having a zooming construction to photograph an image with a changeable magnification, and portable electronic equipment.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A camera device or camera module has been developed recently, and has a reduced size and is produced at a low cost. An image sensor in the camera device detects object light focused by an optical system. The camera device is combined with portable electronic equipment, such as a personal computer, electronic notebook and a cellular telephone handset. The cellular telephone handset of a built-in type having the camera device has been widely used.
JP-A 2004-007117 discloses a slidable protector or cover used in a known structure of the cellular telephone handset of the camera built-in type. A photographing opening is closed in an openable manner by the protector or cover in front of a photographing optical system for the purpose of protection and neat appearance of the front. A user must open and close the protector or cover manually. Much manual operation is required before or after the use for image pickup.
One camera built-in type of the cellular telephone handset is a sliding type commercially available, and includes a transmission unit or main body and a reception unit. A front surface of the transmission unit has a main key pad unit. A display panel or LCD panel is disposed on the front of the reception unit. The reception unit is kept slidable on the transmission unit in a form of setting a rear cover of the reception unit on a front cover of the transmission unit. The reception unit, when not in use, is slid to a closed position where the reception unit is set on a front face of the transmission unit, and when in use, is slid to an open position where the main key pad of the transmission unit is uncovered.
In the sliding type of the cellular telephone handset, the camera device is incorporated in one of the transmission and reception units. The photographing opening is formed in the rear of the reception unit or front of the transmission unit or main body. See U.S. Ser. No. 2003/064688 (corresponding to JP-A 2003-179678) and U.S. Ser. No. 2003/171133 (corresponding to JP-A 2003-204383). When the reception unit is moved to the closed position, the photographing opening is closed by one of the transmission and reception units opposed to the photographing opening. When the reception unit is moved to the open position, the photographing opening can be open. The photographing opening can be open and closed by sliding the reception unit. It is unnecessary to add a sliding type of the protector or cover of JP-A 2004-007117 in the cellular telephone handset.
There are conceptions of adding an optical zoom structure, a macroscopic photographing structure and the like to the cellular telephone handset of the sliding type with trends of designing high performance of the cellular telephone handset of the camera built-in type. A zoom lens movable in an optical axis direction must be used in the photographing optical system. On the other hand, a shape of the cellular telephone handset has a reduced size and a reduced thickness for the purpose of high portability. If the photographing opening is formed in a rear of the reception unit or the front of the transmission unit or main body as disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 2003/064688 (corresponding to JP-A 2003-179678) and U.S. Ser. No. 2003/171133 (corresponding to JP-A 2003-204383), a movable range of the zoom lens is restricted because the optical axis direction of the photographing optical system is the same as the thickness direction of any of the transmission and reception units. It is difficult to raise the zooming magnification. A degree of freedom of zooming cannot be great for a user. Also, the macroscopic photographing structure for the purpose of macroscopic photography must be added to the camera device. This will raise the thickness of one of the transmission and reception units containing the camera device.
If high zooming magnification is desired for image pickup, one of the transmission and reception units containing the camera device is required to have a great thickness in order to keep a large movable range of the zoom lens. However, portability of the cellular telephone handset will be low because of a greater size of the cellular telephone handset of the sliding type.